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Tootsie (1982)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 8/04, 3/06, 7/25

Toots
3/06: Tootsie is an "eh" movie that's nothing special.

It has solid performances, but the storyline is merely okay. The only one to earn an Oscar, Jessica Lange works on both sides of the fence with friends and co-workers while Charles Durning scores points in his own way. Dustin Hoffman is excellent, calling it a significant challenge of his acting career. He's very convincing as Dorothy Michaels although his recently-removed five-o'clock shadow can be spotted at times.

All in all, Tootsie is a performance-driven picture.

7/25: I thought it's time to check out Tootsie and see if it still holds up.

The first fifteen minutes had me worried: so boring and dated. I wanted to tell Bill Murray, "You suck, okay?" By the time Dustin Hoffman walked into Sydney Pollack's office, the movie started to pick up the pace, and afterwards, it just took off when he became a woman. The rest of the way was exactly as how I remembered the film.

So, why the persistent '7' rating? The screenplay isn't that good. If Dustin Hoffman didn't transform himself into Dorothy Michaels convincingly, there's no Tootsie, period, no matter how star-studded the cast is. At the same time, I find it hard to root for his character because he didn't treat Sandy Lester (Teri Garr) fairly when she should've been told straightaway of what's up.

The ending is too weird. After Dorothy Michaels revealed that she's a he in live, everybody would've been mortified. How Julie Nichols (Jessica Lange) handled it isn't realistic. She's a complete fake from start to finish, thinking only of her career before and after what happened. As a result, I know she would've blocked out Michael for life in the hopes of recovering from the supremely weird episode.

All in all, the only reason to check out Tootsie is the acting performances.